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5875 



THREE STEPPING-STONES 



QUESTION-BOOK FOR THE YOUNGER CLASSES 
IN SUNDAY SCHOOLS 

BY THE 

REV. WILLIAM R. HUNTINGTON P. D. 

AUTHOR OF "QUESTIONS ON BOTH TESTAMENTS " "THE CHURCH PORCH" 



11 And chiefly ye shall provide that he may learn the Creed the Lord's 
Prayer and the Ten Commandments ;; 

Address to Sponsors in the Baptismal Office 




I 



NEW YORK 
E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 

?; Cimrcf) ^ufilfs&ers 

* 1877 



J LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. J 



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{ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. { 



THREE STEPPING-STONES 

A QUESTION-BOOK FOR THE YOUNGER CLASSES 
IN SUNDAY; SCHOOLS- 



BY 



Ihe Hot* 



REV. WILLIAM R. HUNfl^GTTOr D. D. 

AUTHOR OF "QUESTIONS ON BOTH TESTAMENTS : > "THE CHURCH PORCH 



" And chiefly ye shall provide that he may learn the Creed the Lord's 
Prayer and the Ten Commandments ; ' 

Address to Sponsors in the Baptismal Office 




IME»'''£i 



L 



NEW YORK 
E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY 

©fjurcj) ISuMt'sijevs 

1877 



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Thb "Lbs**** 
gb Cose* 8 * 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876. 

BY E. P. DUTTON & CO., 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, 



THE CLAREMONT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 

STEREOTYPERS, PRINTERS AND BINDERS, 

CLAREMONT, N. II. 



PREFACE. 



This book is intended for children whose ages 
raoge from eight to twelve, or thereabouts. It has 
been prepared mainly with a view to the needs of 
Sunday Schools ; but not without the hope that it 
may also prove useful as an aid to parents and older 
brothers and sisters in the less formal instructions 
of home. 

The pupil should be required to learn by heart 
the special text assigned to each Sunday, but may 
very properly be allowed to give the answers to the 
questions, (or such of them, at least, as are nor di- 
rect quotations from Scripture) in his own words. 

Most, though not all, of the snatches of sacred 
verse attached to the lessons have been gathered 
from the published hymns of Mrs. C. F. Alexander, 
a writer whose eenius has laid the children of our 
time under an obligation they ought never to forget. 
It may be well to have these verses carefully com- 
mitted to memory, in addition to the Bible texts. 



IV PREFACE. 

As to the general character of the teaching of the 
book the author can only say that he has sought to 
make it simple and reverent ; and yet while writing 
for children, he has not forgotton that the little peo- 
ple are destined to be, by and by, grown-up men and 
women, and has aimed so to put the questions, and so 
to answer them, that these same men and women may 
not look back, ten or twenty years hence, to say 
that innocence was imposed upon, and the unreason- 
ing mind put off with ill-reasoned reasons. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES, 



LESSOX I. 



ffttst Buntiai) ttx ^fabeut. 
"I BELIEVE." 

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all 
things are possible to him that believeth. 

And straightivay the father of the child cried out, 
and said with tears, Lord, I believe ; help thou 
mine unbelief. — Mark ix: 23, 24. 

1. What is the meaning of the word 
" Creed " ? 

Ans. A belief. 

2. What is belief? 

Ans. Trust in what is told us. 

3. Do we believe everything that is told us ? 
Ans. Yes, unless we have reason to think 

that the person who tells us is lying or is mis- 
taken. 

4. Why do you believe that there is such 
a country as China ? 

Ans. Because I have been told so by those 
whom I trust. 

5. But if any one were to tell you that 
two and two make five, should you believe 
that ? 

Ans. No, because of my own self I should 
know that to be untrue. 



8 THE CREED. 

6. What is another name for this willing- 
ness to believe what is told us ? 

Ans. Faith. 

7. What is the Creed sometimes called ? 
Ans. The Faith. 

8. Who first told people most of the things 
in the Creed ? 

Ans. The Apostles. 

9. And who were the Apostles ? 

Ans. They were the men Jesus Christ sent 
out to teach the world. 

10. Why do we believe that these Apos- 
tles told the truth? 

Ans. Because they were good men, and 
willing to die for what they said. 

11. That is one reason, what other reason 
can you give ? 

Ans. We can see that the world is very 
much better for having believed what the 
Apostles said. 

12. Why is the Creed sometimes called 
The Apostles' Creed ? 

Ans. Because it contains what the Apos- 
tles taught. 

Brave saints and true the faith they kept, 

Then, dying, bade us still 
The faith hold fast, while time should last, 

And so, please Gocj, we will. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 9 



LESSON II. 

SerouTi Suntrag ?n £*tit3ent. 
" I BELIEVE in God/' 

The fear of man bring eth a snare; but ichoso 
putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Pro v. 
xxix : 25. 

1. Who are the two persons named in this 
sentence, " I believe in God ? " 

Ans. God and I myself. 

2. What do you say that yon do ? 
Ans. I say that I believe in God. 

3. What do you mean by this ? 

Ans. I mean that I put my trust in God. 

4. Why do the passengers in a ship on the 
ocean feel sure that they shall safely enter the 
harbor to which they are bound ? 

Ans. Because they put trust in the pilot. 

5. Who is the pilot ? 

Ans. The man who directs the steering of 
the ship. 

6. Why are soldiers in battle willing to 
march against the enemy in the face of bay- 
onets or cannon ? 

Ans. Because they put trust in their leader. 



10 THE CREED. 

7. Why will a child walk through a dark 
place in the woods without fear, if his father 
is holding him by the hand ? 

Ans. Because he puts trust in his father. 

8. Why need a Christian have no fear of 
shipwreck in the voyage of life ? 

Ans. Because God is the Pilot. 

9. Why need a Christian have no fear of 
defeat in the battle of life ? 

Ans. Because God is the Leader. 

10. Why need a Christian have no fear of 
being lost in the dark places of life ? 

Ans. Because God is the Father. 

11. What does the Church catechism sav 
is the first point in our duty towards God ? 

Ans. " To believe in Him." 

12. And why ought we to believe in Him ? 
Ans. Because He has been so good to us. 

The heart that trusts forever sings, 
And feels as light as it had wings ; 
A well of peace within it springs ; 

Come good or ill, 
What e'er to day, to-morrow brings, 

It is His will! 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 11 



lesson in. 

" I believe in God the Father Almighty." 

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Fa- 
ther of our Lord Jesus Christ 

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth 
is named. Eph. iii : 14,15. 

1. With what two words does the Lord's 
Prayer begin ? 

Aiis. " Our Father." 

2. Do we begin the Creed with saying " I 
believe in God our Father Almighty ? 

Ans. No ; we say God the Father Almighty. 

3. Why do we make this difference in 
saying the Creed ? 

Ans. Because we believe that God is the 
Father of others besides ourselves. 

4. Of whom is God the Father ? 

Ans. Of all who can feel towards Him as 
children ought to feel. 

5. Is God the Father of mountains, and 
rivers and stars ? 

Ans. No. 

6. Why not ? 



12 THE CREED. 

Ans. Because mountains and rivers and 
stars cannot love Him. 

7. Of whom has God been for ever the 
Father? 

Ans. Of his Son Jesus Christ. 

8. How do we know this ? 

Ans. Because Christ speaks of the glory 
which he had with the Father before the 
world was. 

9. Of whom else is God the Father ? 
Ans. Of the whole family in heaven and 

earth. 

10. Who are members of this family in 
heaven and earth ? 

Ans. We ourselves, and all others who can 
love God. 

11. In what important point does the 
Heavenly Father differ from earthly fathers ? 

Ans. He is the Almighty Father. 

12. What is the meaning of Almighty ? 
Ans. Able to do everything. 

My Father, let me love Thee ; 

My Father, make me good ; 
My Father, give me strength of heart 

To do the thing I would. 
My child, full well I know thee. 

How weak, how frail thou art. 
My child, full well I love thee, 

Fear not, I hold thy heart. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES, 13 

LESSON IV. 
JFcuttJ) Sutrtmg fix £*tFbent\ 

" I believe in God the Father Almighty 
Maker of Heaven and Earth. " 

For every house is builded by some man ; but 
lie that built all things is God. Heb. iii : 4. 

1. Whereabouts in the Bible do we read of 
God's making the heaven and earth ? 

Arts. In the first chapter. 

2. When are we there told that he made 
them? 

Ans. " In the Beginning." 

3. Did he make the earth just as we see it 
now ? 

Ans. No, the earth was without form and 
void. 

4. What do these words mean ? 

Ans. They mean that the earth was rough 
and empty. 

5. Empty of what ? 

Ans. Empty of living things. 

6. But the world now is full of living 
things, does the Bible say that these were all 
put here suddenly ? 

Ans. No. 



14 THE CREED. 

7. How then ? 
Ans. Gradually. 

8. How may we learn still more than the 

Bible tells us about the works of God the 
Maker ? 

Arts, By using our eyes and our minds. 

9. Why did God give us eyes and minds ? 
Ans. That we might use them to His 

glory. 

10. Before the world was made did God 
live ? 

Ans. Yes, from everlasting He is God. 

11. If the world should come to an end 
would He live still ? 

Ans. Yes, to everlasting He is God. 

12. Why need we never fear to learn all 
that can be known of God the Maker ? 

Ans. Because we believe that He is also 
God the Father. 

Maker of the starry sky, 

Canst Thou hear the children's cry ? 
Yes, the softest gentlest word 

By that listening ear is heard. 
Not in vain the raven calls, 

Not unmarked the sparrow falls ; 
Surely, then, a child may be 

Bold, Lord, to come to Thee. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES 15 

LESSON V. 

Suntrsj) after (E&xfstmas* 

" And in Jesus Christ His only Son our 

Lord." 

She sailh unto Him, Yea, Lord ; I believe 
that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which 
should come into the world. John xi : 27. 

1. What is the meaning of the name Jesus ? 
Ans. A Saviour or Deliverer. 

2. Of whom is Jesus the Saviour ? 
Ans. He is the Saviour of us all. 

3. What is the meaning of the name 
Christ ? 

Ans. The Anointed One. 

4. And what do you mean by the Anoint- 
ed One ? 

Ans. In old times, prophets and kings 
were anointed with oil when they entered 
upon their office. 

5. Who anointed Jesus to be our Prophet 
and King ? 

Ans. His Father, God. 

6. With what was He anointed ? 
Ans. With the Holy Spirit. 

7. In what beautiful words does He Him- 
self tell us this ? 

Ans. " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 



16 THE CREED. 

because He hath anointed me to preach the 
gospel to the poor ; He hath sent me to heal 
the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to 
the captives, and recovering of sight to the 
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." 

8. Most of the names in the Bible are sin- 
gle names; of what is this double name " Jesus 
Christ " a sign ? 

Ans. A sign of His double nature. 

9. What do you mean by His double 
nature ? 

Ans. He is both God and man. 

10. If we are all of us God's children, why 
is Jesus Christ called His Only Son ? 

Ans. Because he alone has been God's Son 
from all eternity. 

11. In what sense are we the sons of God ? 
Ans. God has adopted us to be His chil- 
dren. 

12. In whose name and for whose sake has 
He adopted us ? 

Ans. In the name and for the sake of Je- 
sus Christ His only Son our Lord. 

" Hail ! the heavenly Prince of Peace ! 
Hail ! the Sun of Righteousness ! 
Light and life to all He brings, 
Risen with healing in His wings. 
Mild He hi/ys His glory by, 
Born that man no more may die. v 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 17 

LESSON VI. 

<Secout» Suntras after (Ejnstmas. 

"Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost." 

And the angel answered and said unto her, 
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the 
power of the Highest shall overshadoio thee ; there- 
fore also that holy thing ivhich shall be born of 
thee shall be called the Son of God. Lu. i : 35. 

1. Had Jesus an earthly father as we have ? 
Ans. No ; His only Father was God. 

2. Had He an earthly mother ? 
Aus. Yes ; He was the son of Mary. 

3. What did the angel say when he an- 
nounced to Mary that Jesus should be her 
child ? 

Ans. He said, " Hail thou that art highly 
favored. The Lord is with thee ; blessed art 
thou among women/' 

4. Did Jesus Himself know whence he 
had come ? 

Ans. Yes ; He said to the Jews, " I know 
whence I came." 

5. And whence had he really come ? 
Ans. He said, " I came down from heaven." 

6. What is the meaning of the name Holy 
Ghost ? 

Ans. Holy Spirit. 



18 THE CREED. 

7. And what used, in old times, to be the 
meaning of the word " spirit " ? 

Ans. Breath. 

8. What then may we understand by the 
Holy Spirit ? 

Ans. The Holy Breath. 

9. Whose Holy Breath ? 
Ans. God's Holy Breath. 

10. What is said in the Book of Psalms 
about the making of the heaven and the 
earth ? 

Ans. " By the word of the Lord were the 
heavens made, and all the host of them by the 

BREATH OF HIS MOUTH." 

11. What is said in the Book of Genesis 
about the making of man ? 

Ans. " And the Lord God formed man of 
the dust of the ground, and breathed into his 
nostrils the breath of life." 

12. What now, does the Creed say of Jesus 
Christ? 

Ans. It says that He was conceived by this 
same Holy Breath of God. 

For us the King of Kings came down, 

For us He laid His glory by, 
That we might wear an angel's crown, 

And live the life that cannot die. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 19 

LESSOR vn. 

ffiXBt Suntm^ after tf>e Hpfpjanw. 
" And in Jesus Christ His only Son our 
Lord," Who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary." 

And she brought forth her first bom, son, and 
wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in 
a manger ; because there was no room for him in 
the inn. Luke ii : 7. 

1. Where was Jesus born ? 
Ans. In Bethlehem of Judea. 

2. Where was He laid when He was born ? 
Ans. In a manger. 

3. Why did God choose that His Son 
should come into the world so humbly ? 

Ans. He sent Him to be the Saviour of 
the poor and lowly. 

4. Who were the first persons to be told 
of Jesus' birth ? 

Ans. Shepherds keeping watch over their 
flocks by night. 

5. Who appeared to them ? 
Ans. The angel of the Lord. 

6. What did He say to them ? 

Ans. " Fear not, for behold I bring you 
good tidings of great joy which shall be to 
all people." 



20 THE CREED. 

7. What sign did He give them to help 
them find the child ? 

Arts. He told them they would find the 
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in 
a manger. 

8. What happened then ? 

Ans. A multitude of the heavenly host 
joined the angels and sang. 

9. What did they sing ? 

Ans. " Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men." 

10. What did the shepherds do after the 
angels had left them ? 

Ans. They went to Bethlehem and found 
the babe Jesus. 

11. Did the shepherds keep what they had 
heard and seen to themselves ? 

Ans. No ; they made it known abroad. 

12. But what is said of Mary ? 

Ans. " Mary kept all these things and pon- 
dered them in her heart. 5 ' 

When bending from His native sky, 
The Lord of life in mercy came, 
And laid His bright effulgence by, 
To bear on earth a human name ; 

The song, by cherub voices raised, 

Boiled through the dark blue depths above ; 

And Israel's shepherds heard amazed 
The seraph notes of peace and love. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 21 

LESSON VIII. 

^sconti Suntrag after tje 25juplmti£. 
"Born oe the Virgin Mary." 

• When they saw the star they rejoiced with ex- 
ceeding great joy. Matt, ii : 10. 

1. At the time Jesus was born in Bethle- 
hem of Judea^ who was king of that country ? 

Ans. Herod. 

2. Where did he live ? 

Ans. In Jerusalem, the capital city of 
Judea. 

3. Who came to Jerusalem about that 
time? 

Alls. Wise men from the East. 

4. What question did they ask upon their 
arrival ? 

Ans. " Where is he that is born King of 
the Jews ?" 

5. What reason did they give for wanting 
to know ? 

Ans. u We have seen his star in the east, 
and are come to worship him." 

6. King Herod was troubled when he 
heard of their saying this, and why ? 

Ans. Because he was afraid the new king 
would take his throne away from him. 



22 THE CREED. 

7. What, therefore, did he decide to do? 
Arts. To find some means of destroying 

the new-born king. 

8. How did he find out the name of the 
place, where it had been expected that Christ 
would be born ? 

Arts. The chief priests told him. 

9. What did Herod then do J 

Ans. He told the wise men* to go to Beth- 
lehem, and if they found the child to bring 
him word. 

10. When the wise men, guided by the star, 
had reached Bethlehem and found the child 
Jesus, what gifts did they offer Him ? 

Ans. Gold and frankincense and myrrh. 

11. What did Herod do when he found 
that the wise men did not return. 

Ans. He commanded that all the children 
in Bethlehem of two years old and under 
should be killed. 

12. How did the child Jesus escape? 
Ans. Joseph and Mary, warned by God 

m a dream, carried Him into Egypt. 

As with gladness men of old 

Did the guiding-star behold ; 
As with joy they hail'd its light, 

Leading onward, beaming bright; 
So, most gracious Lord, may we 

Evermore be led to Thee. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 23 

LESSON IX. 

£i)frtr Suutiai) after Spfpfmug. 
"BORN OF THE VlRGIN MARY." 

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, 
filled with wisdom, and the grace Of God teas upon 
him. Luke ii : 40. 

1. In what town was the childhood of Jesus 
passed ? 

Ans. In Nazareth of Galilee. 

2. How often were His parents accustomed 
to go up to Jerusalem ? 

Ans. Once in the year, at the Feast of the 
Passover. 

3. What was the feast of the Passover ? 
Ans. A feast the Jews kept in memory of 

their delivery from Egypt. 

4. How old was Jesus when He was al- 
lowed to go to the feast for the first time ? 

Ans. Twelve years old. 

5. In what way did the people who lived 
at a great distance go up to Jerusalem ? 

Ans. They went in large companies, for 
fear of robbers. 

6. After the Passover, when Joseph and 
Mary were on their way back to Nazareth, 
what happened ? 

Ans. They missed the child Jesus. 



24 THE CREED. 

7. What did they do then ? 

Arts. They returned to Jerusalem to search 
for Him. 

8. Where did they find Him at last ? 
Arts. " They found Him in the Temple, in 

the midst of the doctors." 

9. Who were these " doctors" ? 

Ans. Learned men who taught the people 
about God and the Scriptures. 

10. Why was it that He, an untaught boy, 
was able to astonish these learned men by His 
wisdom ? 

Ans. Because God was with Him. 

11. When His mother asked Him why He 
had given them so much anxiety, what did He 
say? 

Ans. " How is it that ye sought me ? Wist 
ye not that I must be about my Father's busi- 
ness ? " 

12 What else is told us of the childhood 
of Jesus ? 

Ans. That He was " subject to his par- 
ents ;" and that He " increased in wisdom and 
stature, and in favor with God and man." 

Oh ! shame on any Christian child, 

Who does not love the House of Prayer ; 

Who goes with cold, unwilling heart, 
To serve his Father there. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 25 

LESSON X. 

jFoutt}) cSutrtas after tjje Epfpfmng* 
" Born of the Virgin Mary." 

For in that he himself hath suffered being 
tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. 
Heb. ii : 18. 

1. When Jesus had grown to be a man, 
how was He solemnly consecrated to His work ? 

Ans. He was baptized. 

2. Where was He baptized ? 
Ans. In the river Jordan. 

3. By whom was He baptized ? 
Ans. By John the Baptist. 

4. "Who was John the Baptist ? 

Ans. He was the son of Elizabeth, the cous- 
in of the Virgin Mary. 

5. For what purpose was John the Baptist 
sent by God ? 

Ans. To make the way ready for Jesus and 
His Gospel. 

6. How did he do this ? 

Ans. He warned the people to repent. 
7 When Jesus was baptized, what wonder- 
ful thing happened ? 

Ans. " The heaven was opened, and the 



26 THE CREED. 

Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like 
a dove upon him." 

8. And what did the voice from heaven 
say? 

Ans. " This is my beloved Son in whom I 
am well pleased." 

9 After the Baptism, what became of Je- 
sus ? 

Ans. He w*ent into the wilderness. 

10. What happened to Him there ? 

Ans. For forty days He was tempted of the 
devil. 

11. Did the tempter succeed in persuading 
Him to do wrong ? 

Ans. No ; He u was in all points tempted 
like as we are, yet without sin." 

12. How was Jesus cheered after the temp- 
taion was over ? 

Ans. Angels came and ministered unto 
Him. 

Shepherd of Israel, from above, 

Thy feeble flock behold ; 
And let us never lose Thy love, 

Nor wander from thy fold. 

Guide us through life ; and when, at last, 

We enter into rest, 
Thy tender arms around us cast, 

And fold us to Thy breast. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 27 



LESSON XI. 

jFtftj) SuuTrag after tlje Hpfjjfmng. 

" Born of the Virgin Mary." 

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any 
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross, and follow me. Matt, xvi : 24. 

1. After the Baptism and the Temptation 
were over, what did Jesus begin ? 

Ans. His ministry. 

2. "What does " ministry" mean ? 
Ans. Service. 

3. Whom did Jesus serve ? 

Ans. Those who needed help in body or 
soul. 

4. What did He do for the sick ? 
Ans. He healed them. 

5. What did He do for the ignorant ? 
Ans. He taught them. 

6. What did He do for the sorrowful? 
Am. He comforted them. 

7. Who went about with Him in His jour- 
neys? 

Ans. His disciples. 



28 THE CREED. 

8. What is the meaning of "discipla"? 
Arts. A learner. 

v 9. How many disciples did Jesus call to fol- 
low Him ? 

Arts. Twelve. 

10. Which of the disciples did He name 
the Rock? 

Ans. St. Peter. 

11. Which of the disciples did He love 
best? 

Arts. St. John. 

12. Which of the disciples betrayed Him? 
Ans. Judas. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, 
They have loved the better part ; 
When life's journey they have trod, 
They shall go to be with God. 

In the watches of the night, 
When the stars are clear and bright, 
<c Thus the just shall shine," they say, 
" In the Resurrection-day." 

God in everything they see ; 
First in all their thoughts is He ; 
They have loved the better part, 
Blessed are the "pure in heart. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 29 



LESSON XII. 

«Sf):t& ^uutiag after Hpfpjaus. 

" Born of the Virgin Mary." 

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or 
cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, 
and besought him [that they might touch, if it were 
but the border of his garment; and as many as 
touched him were made whole. Mark vi : 56. 

1. What were Christ's miracles ? 
Ans. His wonderful works. 

2. Why was he able to do them ? 

Ans. Because the power of God was with 
Him. 

3. Which was the first of His miracles? 
Ans. Turning water into wine at the mar- 
riage feast of Cana in Galilee. 

4. Of what sort were most of his miracles ? 
Ans. They were miracles of healing. 

5. Which was the greatest of his mir- 
acles ? 

Ans. The raising of Lazarus from the dead. 

6. What were Christ's parables? 

Ans. Short stories in which He taught the 
people the things of God. 



30 THE CREED. 

7. What are the names of some of the par- 
ables ? 

Ans. " The lost Sheep :" " The unmerciful 
Servant :" " The Ten Virgins :" The Wheat 
and the Tares.' 5 

8. Where did Jesus teach ? 

Ans. In all sorts of places, by the sea-shore, 
on the mountain side, in the temple. 

9. In which part of the Bible do we read 
about Christ's words and works ? 

Ans. In the four Gospels. 

10. And where are the four Gospels ? 
Ans. At the beginning of the New Testa- 
ment. 

11. What are the writers of the four Gos- 
pels called ? 

Ans. The four evangelists. 

12. Which two of the evangelists were 
also among the twelve disciples ? 

Ans. St. Matthew and St. John. 

In the Lord put I my trust ; 
He is gentle, He is just ; 
He my strength is, He my song, 
And my crown shall be ere long. 

He may chasten and correct, 
But He never can neglect ; 
May in faithfulness reprove, 
But He ne'er can cease to love. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 31 

LESSOR XTTT. 

JSeptuagestma Suntrag. 
" HE SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PlLATE." 

And so Pilate, willing to content the people, re- 
leased Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, 
ichen he had scourged him, to be crucified. Mark 
xv : 15. 

1. Who was Pontius Pilate ? 

Ans. The Eoman Governor at Jerusalem. 

2. How did it happen that the Romans 
were ruling the Jews ? 

Ans. They had conquered them in war. 

3. Who were seeking to put Jesus to death 
at this time ? 

Ans. The chief men among the Jews. 
1 4. "What were the bad motives that prorat- 
ed them to this? 

Ans. Envy, hatred and malice. 

5. Where did Judas, the wicked disciple, 
betray Jesus ? 

Ans. In the garden of Gethsemane. 

6. What did Jesus endure in the garden 
of Gethsemane ? 

Ans. His agony. 



82 THE CREED. 

7. How is this described in the Gospels ? 

Ans. " And being in an agony He prayed 
more earnestly ; and his sweat was, as it were, 
great drops of blood falling down to the 
ground." 
8. What was His prayer ? 

Ans. " my Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me. Nevertheless not as 
I will but as thou wilt." 

9. What did He mean by " this cup ?" 
Ans. The cup of sufferingHe was about to 

taste. 

10. To whom did his enemies lead away 
Christ after they had taken Him ? 

Ans. To the High Priest first. 

11. And then to whom ? 
Ans. To Pontius Pilate. 

12. Why did they take him before Pilate ? 
Ans. Because they wished him put to 

death, and onlv the Roman Governor could 
condemn to death. 

We may not know, we cannot tell, 

What pains He had to bear, 
But we believe it was for us 

He hung and suffered there. 

He died that we might be forgiven, 

He died to make us good, 
That we might go at last to heaven, 

Saved by His precious blood. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 33 

LESSOR XIV. 

Se^ajjestma Sutttrag. 
" Was crucified, dead and buried." 

And it was the third hoar, and they crucified 
him. 

And the superscription of his accusation was 
written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

And with him they crucify two thieves; the one 
on his right hand, and the other on his left. Mark 
xv : 25, 26, 27. 

1. "Where was Jesus crucified ? 

Ans. At a place near Jerusalem, called 
Calvary. 

2. What was his prayer upon the cross for 
those who were crucifying Him ? 

Ans. " Father forgive them, for they know 
not what they do." 

3. What were His last words as He was 
dying ? 

Ans. " Father into thy hands I commend 
my spirit." 

4. Did Jesus know beforehand that He was 
to be put to death upon the cross ? 

Ans. Yes, He foretold His sufferings to 
His disciples. 

5. Why was He willing to die ? 

Ans. Because it was His Father's will. 



34 THE CREED. 

6. What does St. Paul say about the death 
of Christ ? 

Ans. He says that Christ died for our sins. 

7. What does he mean by this ? 

Ans. That He died to take away our sins. 

8. How does He take away our sins ? 
Ans. God forgives us for Christ's sake. 

9. In what other sense does Christ take 
away our sins ? 

Ans. His love for us makes us love Him, 
and when we love Him, we try to be without 
sin as He was. 

10. What other blessing do we recieve from 
the sufferings of Christ ? 

Ans. They teach us patience. 

11. In what words does St. Peter tell us 
this? 

Ans. " Christ also suffered for us, leaving 
us an example." 

12. Where was the body of Jesus laid after 
it had been taken down from the cross ? 

Ans. In a new tomb in the garden of Jo- 
seph of Arimathea. 

Yes, Thy blood is all my plea, 
It was shed, and shed for me, 
Therefore to Thy cross I flee. 
At thy feet in dust and shame 
I dare breathe Thy Holy Name, 
And a great salvation claim. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 35 

LESSON XV. 

©,utnquagesnna ^iintta^. 
"HE DESCENDED INTO HELL." 

Yea, though Izoalk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, Iioill fear no evil ; for thou art 
with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, 
Ps. xxiii: 4. 

1. What is the usual meaning of the word 
" hell" in the Bible ? 

Ans. It usually means the place of punish- 
ment. 

2. What other meaning does the word 
sometimes have ? 

Ans. Sometimes it means simply the un- 
seen world. 

3. In which of the two senses is the word 
used in the Creed ? 

Ans. In the last. 

4. When we say that Christ " descended 
into hell" what do we mean ? 

Ans. We mean that at His death His soul 
was separated from His body until His resur- 
rection. 

5. In speaking to the penitent thief on the 
cross, what did He call the place they were 
both about to enter ? 

Ans. Paradise. 



36 TIIE CREED. 

6. What were His words ? 

Arts. " To-day shalt thou be with me in 
Paradise. " 

7. What do we mean by Paradise ? 
Arts. A place of happiness. 

8. What does St Paul say about departing 
from this life and being with Christ in an- 
other life ? 

Arts. He says that it is far better. 

9. How ought we, then, to think of those 
who have died the death of the righteous ? 

Ans. We ought to think of them as at rest 
and in peace. 

10. Why do we believe that there is a space 
between death and resurrection ? 

Ans. Because it was so with Christ. 

11. How long did His sacred body remain 
in Joseph's tomb ? 

Ans. For two nights and one day. 

12. What comfort may we gather from this 
article of the Creed ? 

Ans. We are encouraged not to be afraid 
of death. 

Lord, who for ua so cold and deep 
Down in that garden grave hast lain, 

When we like Thee must fall asleep, 
Be with us in our hour of pain, 

That strengthened by Thy grace divine, 

Alive or dead we may be Thine. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 37 



LESSON XVL 

jffrst Suntras m Sent. 

u The third day he rose from the dead." 

If ye then be risen with, Christ, seek those 
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the 
right hand of God. 

Set your affection on things above, not on things 
on the earth. Col. iii : 1, 2. 

1. On which day of the week did Jesus 
rise from the dead ? 

Ans. On the first day of the week. 

2. What then do we mean when we say 
that on iC the third day " He rose ? 

Ans. We mean the third day counting the 
day of the crucifixion the first day. 

3. What had the Jews done to prevent the 
disciples from taking away the body of Jesus ? 

Ans. They had sealed the stone at the 
door of the sepulcre, and had set a guard of 
soldiers there. 

4. What happened in the early morning 
of the first day of the week ? 

Ans. The angel of the Lord came down 
and rolled away the stone from the door of 
the sepulcre. 



38 THE CREED. 

5. Was the stone rolled away in order that 
Jesus might come forth ? 

A?is. No, He was already risen. 

6. Why then was the stone rolled away ? 
Ans. In order to show that the sepulchre 

was empty. 

7. To whom did Jesus first appear after 
His resurrection ? 

Ans. To Mary Magdalen. 

8. To whom else shortly afterward? 

Ans. To the women returning from the 
sepulchre and to Simon Peter. 

9. To whom else in the afternoon of the 
same day ? 

Ans. To two of the disciples as they were 
walking into the country. 

10. To whom in the evening? 

Ans. To the eleven disciples as they sat at 
meat. 

11. What were His words when he ap- 
peared among them ? 

Ans. " Peace be unto you." 

12. What was the feeling of the disciples ? 
Ans. " Then were the disciples glad when 

they saw the Lord." 

In vain with stone the cave they barred, 
In vain the watch kept ward and guard ; 
Majestic from the spoiled tomb, 
In pomp of triumph Christ is come. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 39 

LESSON XVII. 
-SetonTJ .Sutttraa? tn SLent. 
u HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AND SITTETH ON 
THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER AL- 
MIGHTY." 

So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, 
he ivas received up into heaven, and sat on the 
right hand of God. Mark xvi : 19. 

1 . How long was Jesus on the earth after 
His resurrection ? 

Ans. For forty days. 

2. About what things did He teach His 
disciples during these forty days ? 

AnSi " The things pertaining to the king- 
dom of God." 

3. What command did He lay on them ? 

Ans. " Go ye, therefore, and teach all na- 
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Fa- 
ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 

4. What other command had He already 
given, shortly before His death ? 

Ans. He had taken bread and wine, and 
had blessed them and given them to the dis- 
ciples and said, " This do in remembrance of 
Me." 

5. Where was Jesus last seen by His dis- 
ciples ? 



40 THE CREED. 

Ans. At Bethany on the Mount of Olives. 

6. What was His last act ? 

Arts. " He lifted up his hands, and blessed 
them." 

7. What happened then ? 

Ans. " He was parted from them, and car- 
ried up into heaven." 

8. How long did they gaze on Him ? 
Ans. Until a cloud received Him out of 

their sight. 

9. The Creed says that the ascended Christ 
is sitting " at the right hand " of the Father, 
what does this mean ? 

Ans. That the highest honor is given to 
Him. 

10. What is the place of honor in the 
court of an earthly* king ? 

Ans. At the right hand of the throne. 

11. What comfort is there for those who 
believe in Christ in thinking that He is at the 
right hand of God. ? 

Ans. It is like having a brother there. 

12. How does He help His brethren, there 
at the throne ? 

Ans. It is written, " He ever liveth to 
make intercession for them." 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 41 

LESSON XVIII. 

" From thence he shall come to judge the 
quick and the dead." 

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of 
his Father, with his angels; and then he shall re- 
ward every man according to his works. Matt. 

xvi : 27. 

1. Why do we believe that Jesus Christ 
will come again ? 

Ans. Because He promised to do so, and 
He will not break His promise. 

2. What will be the purpose of His coming ? 
Ans. To judge the world. 

3. What is the duty of a judge ? 
Ans. To see that justice is done. 

4. Who only can do perfect justice to all 
men everywhere ? 

Ans. The Judge of all the earth. 

5. Who is the Judge of all the earth ? 
Ans. God our Maker. 

6. By whom will God our Maker do His 
judgment on the earth? 

Ans. By His son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

7. And why by Him ? 

Ans. " Because He is the Son of man. 



42 THE CREED. 

8. What is the meaning of this word 
" quick " in the Creed ? 

Ans. It means those who shall be living 
when Christ comes. 

9. Does any one know just when Christ 
will come again ? 

Ans. " Of that day and that hour knoweth 
no man." 

10. How then ought we to live ? 

Ans. As if we might be called to meet our 
Judge any day. 

11. If we were living selfish, mean, greedy 
and quarrelsome lives, should we enjoy having 
Him come suddenly upon us ? 

Ans. No, we should be very much ashamed. 

12. How ought we to pray that we may be 
found of Him when He comes ? 

Ans. That we " may be found of Him in 
peace, without spot and blameless." 

Slowly the morning steals 
Upon our weary road, 
Why stay the chariot wheels 
Of our expected God ? 
Oh, when shall we 
Thy glory see, 
And, Saviour, ever rest in Thee ? 






THREE STEPPING-STONES. 43 

LESSON XIX. 

jFourtJ Suntia^ fn 3LznU 

" I Believe in the Holy Ghost." 

Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; It is expe- 
dient for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, 
the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I de- 
part, I will send him unto you. John xvi : 7. 

1. Into what name are Christian people 
baptized ? 

Ans. Into the name of the Father and of 
the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 

2. We have already said in the Creed that 
we believe in God the Father, and in Jesus 
Christ His only Son, what do we say now ? 

Ans. That we believe in the Holy Ghost. 

3. Why do we believe in the Holy Ghost 
as well as in the Father and the Son ? 

Ans. Because Christ told us to believe in 
Him. 

4. What were His words ? 

Ans. "When He the spirit of truth is come, 
He will guide you into all truth." 

5. When was Christ's promise to send this 
spirit of truth, the Comforter, fulfilled ? 

Ans. On the day of Pentecost. 



44 THE CREED. 

6. How was the presence of the Holy 
Ghost made known on that day ? 

Ans. By a " sound as of a mighty rushing 
wind " and by " cloven tongues as of fire." 

7. Why is the wind a fitting sign or em- 
blem of the Holy Ghost ? 

Ans. Because it works without being seen. 

8. Why is fire a fitting emblem of the 
Holy Ghost? 

Ans. Because it enlightens and warms the 
body, as the Holy Ghost enlightens and warms 
the soul. 

9. What other emblems of the Holy Ghost 
are given us in the Bible ? 

Ans. The dove, the dew, and the fountain. 

10. For what do these stand ? 

Ans. The dove for purity, the dew for 
gentleness, the fountain for refreshing. 

11. What happy belief have Christians a 
right to hold about the Holy Ghost ? 

Ans. That He dwelleth in them. 

12. And what ought to be their greatest 
care ? 

Ans. Not to grieve Him away. 

There is a Holy Dove that sings 

To every Christian child, 
That whispers to his little heart 

In music sweet and mild. 



i, THREE STEPPING-STONES. 45 

LESSOR XX. 

9 tft& Suufcag fn 2Lent. 

" The Holy Catholic Church : the Communion 

of Saints." 

For as we have many members in one body, and 
all members have not the same office ; 

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and 
every one members one of another. Rom. xii : 4, 5. 

1. What is the Church ? 

Ans. It is the household of God. 

2. Why do we call this household " Holy" ? 
Ans. Because those who live in it seek to 

be pure in heart. 

3. Why do we call this household " Cath- 
olic" ? 

Ans. Because it is meant for the whole fam- 
ily of men. 

4. To what else, beside a household, is the 
Church likened in the Bible ? 

Ans. To a sheepfold, of which Christ is the 
Good Shepherd. 

5. To what else ? 

Ans. To the human body. 

6. Why is the Church likened to the hu- 
man body ? 

Ans. Because it has many members and 
one head. 



46 THE CREED. * 

7. Who is the Head of the Church ? 
Arts. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

8. Who are the members of the Church ? 
Ans. Those who believe that Jesus is the 

Christ, and who have been baptized. 

9. What makes all the members one body ? 
Ans. Their union with the Head. 

10. Can children be members of the Holy 
Catholic Church ? 

Ans. Yes, because Jesus said " Suffer the 
little children to come unto me, and forbid 
them not." 

11. What do we mean by the " Commun- 
ion of Saints" ?_ 

Ans. We mean the fellowship which all 
who love our Lord Jesus Christ enjoy. 

12. Does it separate Christians from this 
fellowship to die ? 

Ans. No, it is one Communion in heaven 
and on earth. 

Since we are all made one in Him, 

How gentle should we prove ! 
How peaceful in our ways and words, 

How tender in our love ! 
So shall our Head, at all times near, 

Dwell in His members blest, 
So lead us in His Church on earth 

Safe to His Church at rest. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 47 

LESSOR XXL 

SutxTmg nert before Saster. 

" The Forgiveness of sins." 

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted 
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's 
sake hath forgiven you. Eph. iv : 32. 

1. When do we sin ? 

Arts. Whenever we do wrong. 

2. How do we know when we have done 
wrong ? 

Ans. Conscience tells us. 

3. What is conscience ? 
Ans. The voice of God. 

4. When the voice of God has told us that 
we have sinned, what ought we to do ? 

Ans. We ought to ask His forgiveness. 

5. And if our sin has injured anybody else 
what ought we to do ? 

Ans. We ought to ask also the forgiveness 
of the person we have injured. 

6. And what else ? 

Ans. As far as we can, we ought to make 
amends. 

7. When we are sorry for our sins and have 
confessed them, what is God willing to do ? 

Ans. To forgive us our sins. . 



48 THE CREED. 

8. We can make amends to one another, 
but we cannot make amends to God, how then 
can we hope that God will forgive us ? 

Arts. Our Saviour has made amends for us. 

9. How has He done this ? 

Ans. By doing perfectly God's holy will. 

10. When did Christ finish this work of 
making amends for us ? 

Ans. When He suffered on the cross. 

11. Who then gives us the right to say that 
we believe in the forgiveness of sins ? 

Ans. The Saviour who died for us. 

12. But if we are ourselves unforgiving to- 
wards others, have we any reason to think 
that God will forgive us ? 

Ans. Jesus said, "If ye forgive not men 
their trespasses, neither will yourFather forgive 
your trespasses." 

Dost thou remember when thy Lord 

Hung on His cruel cross so long, 
How in His agony He prayed 

For those who did Him wrong ? 

They nailed His hands, they pierced His feet, 
Their angry hearts no pity knew. 

" Father forgive them," was His cry, 
" They know not what they do." 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 49 

LESSON XXII. 

faster 2Ba^. 

"The Resurrection of the body, and the 
Life everlasting. Amen." 

We know that, ivhen he shall appear, toe shall 
be like him ; for we shall see him as he is. I. John 
iii: 2. 

1. Why do we believe that in the resurrec- 
tion we shall have bodies as we do here ? 

Arts. Because when Christ rose from the 
dead it was with a body. 

2. What did he say to His disciples when 
they doubted whether it were really He ? 

Ans. " Behold my hands and my feet, that 
it is I myself." 

3. In which chapter of the Bible are we 
taught most of what we know about the res- 
urrection of the body ? 

Ans. In the 15th chapter of St. Paul's First 
Epistle to the Corinthians. 

4. How does our Church show the value 
which she sets upon this chapter? 

Ans. By appointing it to be read in the 
Burial Service, and also at Evening Prayer on 
the first Sunday after Easter. 

5. In this chapter, what does St. Paul tell 
us is our best reason for believing that we 
shall rise from the dead ? 



50 THE CREED. 

Arts. The fact that Christ is risen. 

6. To what does he compare the burial of 
the dead ? 

Ans. To the sowing of seed in the ground. 

7. And what does he call the body which 
is to be given us in the resurrection ? 

Ans. The spiritual body. 

8. And how does he tell us that the spirit- 
ual body we are to have then will differ from 
the natural body we have now ? 

Ans. The spiritual body will be incorrupt- 
ible. 

9. What does this mean ? 

Ans. That it cannot suffer sickness nor 
pain nor death. 

10. To how long a life does the Christian 
believer look forward in the Resurrection ? 

Ans. To an everlasting one. 

11. For what purpose is the short life which 
we live on the earth given us ? 

Ans. That we may be made ready for " the 
life everlasting." 

12. How only can we be fitted to enjoy 
that life ? 

Ans. By receiving and cherishing the 
Spirit which was in Christ Jesus our Lord. 



k.*&* &»$6m&* 




THREE STEPPING-STONES. 53 

LESSON L 

SFixxt S&unfcas after Saster* 

" Our Father who art in Heaven." 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given 
you ; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be 
opened unto you. 

For every one that asketh, receiveth ; and he that 
seeketh, findeth; and to him. that knocketh, it shall 
be opened. Luke xi : 9 10. 

1. Why is the prayer " Our Father " called 
the Lord's Prayer ? 

Ans. Because our Lord Jesus gave it to 
His disciples to use. 

2. Who were the disciples ? 

Ans. The twelve men whom Jesus called 
to be His companions while He was on earth. 

3. But was the prayer intended only for 
those twelve men ? 

Ans. No. 

4. For whom was it intended ? 

Ans. For all who should ever learn to be- 
lieve in God through Jesus Christ. 

5. Why is it a good prayer for all sorts of 
people, young and old ? 

Ans. Because it is so short and simple. 



54 the lord's prayer. 

6. Did Jesus use this prayer Himself? 
Ans. We are not told that He did. 

7. Why could He not use it ? 

Ans. He was without sin and therefore 
could not ask to be forgiven. 

8. Are we without sin? 

Ans. The Bible says, " If we say that we 
have no sin we deceive ourselves." 

9. In this prayer we call God our " Fath- 
er ;" if He is our Father what may we expect 
from Him ? 

Ans. Loving kindness and protection. 

10. What else ? 

Ans. Correction when we do wrong. 

11. If God is our Father what do we owe 
Him as His children ? 

Ans. First of all, obedience. 

12. And what else? 

Ans. Love and trust and reverence. 

When Jesus trod by thy blue sea, 
How blest wert thou, Galilee ! 
While there He walked His gracious way, 
And taught us how to live and pray. 

In sweet and solemn tones His prayer 
Still lingers on the waving air, 
Where suns may rise, or suns may set 
All wants in that one prayer are met , 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 55 

LESSON II. 

<Seconti <Sunfca2 after fEaster. 

" Hallowed be thy Name." 

But I say unto you, Tlxat every idle word that 
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in 
the day of judgment 

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by 
thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matt, xii : 
36, 37. 

1. What is the meaning of the word " hal- 
lowed " ? 

Ans. Kept holy. " 

2. When is anything kept holy ? 

Ans. When it is set apart from common 
uses. 

3. Suppose you had a garden of young 
plants in danger of being trodden upon and 
spoilt what would you do ? 

Ans. Fence it. 

4. And so, if we wish to keep the name of 
God from being soiled and hurt, what must 
we do ? 

Ans. We must protect it. 

5. What do we call the fence that protects 
the name of God ? 

Ans. Eevereuce. 



56 THE lord's prayer. 

6. Where must reverence begin ? 
Arts. In the heart. 

7. How does reverence show itself ? 
Ans. In our words. 

8. How can we hallow God's name in our 
conversation ? 

Ans. By never using it carelessly. 

9. What is the most common way of using 
that holy name carelessly ? 

Ans. Swearing. 

10. Why does swearing hurt the soul? 
Ans. Because it is an insult to God. 

11. When any one uses insulting language 
which does he hurt most the person whom he 
insults or himself? 

Ans. Himself. 

12. What was David's prayer about his 
conversation ? 

Ans. " Set a watch, Lord, before my 
mouth, keep the door of my lips." 

Holy, Holy, Holy ! though the darkness hide thee, 
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see, 

Only thou art Holy ! there is none beside Thee 
Perfect in power, in love and purity. 



THREE STKPPDSG-ST0NE3. 57 

lesson in. 

V 

2Tj)trtr SStmttaj) after Haster* 

" Thy Kingdom come/' 

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom ; and 
thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 
Psalm cxlv : 13. 

1. What does " kingdom " mean ? 
Ans. The government of a king. 

2. What is a king ? 

Ans. A chief ruler who holds his office as 
long as he lives. 

3. What is God called in the Bible ? 
Ans. " The king of all the earth." 

4. If God is " the king of all the earth/' 
what ought all the people of the earth to do ? 

Ans. To honor and obey Him. 

5. But, really, do all the people of the 
earth honor and obey Him ? 

Ans. No. 

6. What then do we mean by the prayer, 
" Thy Kingdom come " ? 

Ans. We mean that we hope the day will 
come when God shall be honored and obeyed 
everywhere as He ought to be. 



58 THE lord's prayer. 

7. What do we call the people who will 
not obey their rightful ruler ? 

Arts. Rebellious. 

8. "Why was our Saviour sent into the 
world ? 

Ajis. That he might bring back the rebell- 
ious people to their King. 

9. What is one of the titles given to Jesus 
because He is the King's son. 

Arts. The Prince of Peace. 

10. If the world would only accept the 
peace which Jesus offers what would follow ? 

Ans. God's Kingdom would come. 

11. Have we Americans a king to rule over 
us? 

Ans. We have no earthly king. 

12. Ought we to think less of God as our 
King on this account ? 

Ans. He is all the more our King because 
He is our only one. 

Why do we say, ,4 Thy kingdom come '' ? 

Because our King is far away, 
And, till He come to us again, 

We wait, and watch, and pray. 

So shall our souls be ready found, 

When, from the country far away, 
Our King returns in glory crowned, 

To hail His sovereign sway. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 59 

LESSOR IV. 
Jfouttt) -Surxfcai) after 2Haster. 

" tliy will be done on earth, as it is in 
heaven/' 

Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God : 
thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of upright- 
ness. Psalm cxliii : 10. 

1. How is God's will done in Heaveu ? 
Ans. Perfectly. 

2. How is His will done on earth ? 
Ans. Imperfectly. 

3. When is God's will done ? 
Ans. When His law is kept. 

4. What is keeping His law called ? 
Ans. Righteousness. 

5. What is breaking His law called ? 
Ans. Sin. 

6. How are we taught that there is a dif- 
ference between ri^ht and wrong? 

Ans. By God's voice speaking in the heart, 
which we call conscience. 

7. And where are we taught fully what 
this difference is ? 

Ans. In the Bible. 



60 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

8. When is it hard for us to do God's will ? 
Arts. When our own will goes against His. 

9. When we follow our own will instead 
of His, what do we call it ? 

Ans. Having our own way. 

10. Which is always the better for us, our 
own way or God's way ? 

Ans. God's way. 

11. Who alone has power to make us love 
God's will ? 

Ans. God Himself. 

12. When does He do this ? 
Ans. When we honestly ask Him. 

Lord, when we say, " Thy will be done," 

May heart to lip be ever true ; 
Oh ! give us grace to serve thee here, 

As gladly as the angels do. 

And if thou send us pain or grief, 

If loss or anguish e'er befall, 
Still teach us, though with quivering lip. 

To say " Thy will be done in all," 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 61 



LESSOR V. 

tfffti) Suntraaj after Haster. 

" Give us this day our daily bread." 

And Jesus said unto them, I con the bread of 
life ; he that cometh to me shall never hunger ; and 
he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 
vi : 35. 

1. What would happen to us if God did 
not give us our daily bread ? 

Ans. We should starve. 

2. But does every one starve who does not 
use this prayer ? 

Ans. No, many who never pray have 
enough to eat. 

3. How is this ? 

Ans. Because God is kind even " to the 
unthankful and to the evil." 

4. What is the purpose of His kindness? 
Ans. Sometimes u the goodness of God 

leadeth men to repentance." 

5. Would our earthly parents let us die of 
hunger even if we did not ask for food ? 

Ans. No, they would give it to us whether 
we asked or not. 

6. But what should we call the behaviour 



62 THE lord's prayer. 

of a child who for this reason should refuse to 
ask at all ? 

Ans. Unmannerly. 

7. Is there any more excuse for being un- 
mannerly towards our Heavenly Father than 
towards our earthly one ? 

Ans. ISTo, there is still less. 

8. Is the body the only part of us that 
needs daily bread ? 

Ans. No, our souls need it too. 

9. What do we call the soul's daily bread ? 
Ans. The grace of G-od. 

10. What does food do for the body ? 
Ans. It makes it strong to work. 

11. And what does grace do for the soul ? 
Ans. It makes it strong to love and do 

the right. 

12. Why do we say " Give us this day our 
daily bread " instead of " this week " or " this 
month " or " this year ?" 

Ans. Because we " know not what shall 
be on the morrow." 

God hears the hungry lions howl, 
He feeds the raven hoarse and grey ; 

Cares He alone for beast and fowl ? 
Are we less dear than they ? 

Nay, Christian child, kneel down and own 
The Hand that feeds thee, day by day, 

Nor careless with thy lip alone, 
For all things needful pray. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 63 

LESSON VI. 

Suutrag after ^sceustoti 3Bx$. 

H And forgive us our trespasses As we for- 
give THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US." 

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one 
another, if any man have a quarrel against any : 
even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Col. 
iii: 13. 

1. What is a trespass ? 

Ans. Any wrong thing done. 

2. What is the name for trespasses against 
God? 

Ans. Sins. 

3. What is the name for trespasses against 
men ? 

Ans. Injuries. 

4. What is the name for trespasses against 
the law of the land ? 

Ans. Crimes. 

5. When do we trespass against God? 
Ans. Whenever we break one of His com- 
mandments. 

6. Are there any of us who have not tres- 
passed against God ? 

Ans. No ; " There is no man that sinneth 
not." 



64 THE lord's prayer. 

7. What are the first words the minister 
and the people say together in the Church 
Service ? 

Ans. "Almighty and most merciful Father, 
we have erred and strayed from Thy ways 
like lost sheep." 

8. What does our saying this before we 
say anything else show ? 

Ans. That God's forgiveness is our great- 
est need. 

9. But can we expect Him to forgive us, 
if we are unforgiving towards others ? 

Ans. Jesus said " If ye forgive not men 
their trespasses neither will your Father for- 
give your trespasses." 

10. In which of His parables doe3 Jesus 
illustrate this ? 

Ans. In the parable of the unmerciful 
servant. 

11. How are we always tempted to feel 
towards those who have injured us? 

Ans. Angrily and bitterly. 

12. But what does Jesus say? 

Ans. u Love your enemies, bless them that 
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and 
pray for them that despitefully use you and 
persecute you." 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 65 

LESSON VII. 

" And lead us not into temptation ; But de- 
liver US FROM EVIL." 

There hath no temptation taken you but such as 
is common to man: but God is faithful, who will 
not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
but will with the temptation also make a way to 
escape, that ye may be able to bear it. I. Cor. 
x: 13. 

1. When are we tempted ? 

Ans. Whenever we are made to feel that 
it would be pleasant to do wrong. 

2. There are two times when temptation 
is most likely to assail us, — which is the first 
of the two ? 

Ans. When we are idle. 

3. Which is the second ? 

Ans. When we are in bad company. 

4. Was Christ tempted when He was on 
earth ? 

Ans. Yes, " He was in all points tempted 
like as we are, yet without sin." 

5. Do our temptations come from God ? 
Am. No, " God cannot be tempted, nei- 
ther tempteth He any man." 



66 THE lord's prayer. 

6. What do we mean, then, by praying 
God not to lead us into temptation? 

Ajis. We mean, Let us not be led into temp- 
tation. 

7. Who is Satan or the evil one ? 

Ans. He is the worst of God's creatures. 

8. What is he sometimes called ? 
Aiis. The Tempter. 

9. Is Satan the only tempter ? 

Ans. No, every one who entices us to sin 
is a tempter. 

10. What did Jesus say to Simon Peter, 
when that disciple tried to make Him turn 
from the path of duty ? 

Ans. " Get thee behind me Satan." 

11. What is our best help in overcoming 
temptation ? 

Ans. God's Holy Spirit 

12. To whom does God give the. Holy 
Spirit? 

Ans. To those who sincerely ask Him. 

Myself I cannot save, 

Myself I cannot keep ; 
But strength in Thee I surely have, 

Whose eyelids never sleep. 
My soul to Thee alone 

Now, therefore, I commend : 
Thou, Jesus, love me as Thine own, 

And love me to the end. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 67 



lesson vm. 

a For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, 

AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN." 

And every creature which is in heaven, and on 
the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in 
the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, 
Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be 
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
Lamb for ever and ever. Rev. v : 13. 

1. How far does God's kingdom extend ? 
Ans. To all the worlds. 

2. Why has He the right to be the King 
of all? 

Ans. Because He is the Father of all. 

3. What is one of His titles in the Bible ? 
Ans. Eing of kings and Lord of lords. 

4. How great is God's power ? 
Ans. There is no end to it. 

5. Why do we say " Thine is the power," 
instead of simply " Thine is power" ? 

Ans. We mean that all power and strength 
come from Him. 



68 THE lord's prayer. 

6. If any power, then, should ever be en- 
trusted to us, how ought we to use it ? 

Arts. As God's gift. 

7. How does St. Paul express this thought ? 
Ans. He says " There is no power but of 

God." 

8. What is glory ? 
Arts. Brightness. 

9. What is the glory of the sun and the 
moon and the stars ? 

Arts. Their shining. 

10. What shines brighter than sun or 
moon or stars ? 

Ans. A good deed. 

11. And from whom does all goodness 
come? 

Ans. From God. 

12. To whom then do the kingdom and 
the power and the glory all belong? 

Ans. To our Father which is in Heaven. 

Two little feet to walk the way to Heaven, 
Two little hands for loving labor given, 
Two little eyes to read God's Holy Word, 
Two little lips to praise the Blessed Lord, 
One deathless soul, beaming with love and light, 
So shall we live alway in Jesus' sight. 



rt ^»£r.-— ; 



THE 

&zn €ammavfismmt& 



: : .t 



I. Thou shalt have none other gods but me. 

II. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven 
image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heav- 
en above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under 
the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor wor- 
ship them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, 
and visit the sins of the fathers upon the children, unto 
the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 
and show mercy unto thousands in them that love me, 
and keep my commandments. 

III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy 
God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
that taketh his Name in vain. 

IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. 
Six davs shalt thou labor, and do all that thou hast to 
do: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God. In it thou shalt do no manner of work; thou, and 
thy son, and thv daughter, thy man-servant, and thy 
maid-servant, thv cattle, and the stranger that is within 
thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and 
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the 
seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh 
dav, and hallowed it. 

V. Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days 
may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giv- 
eth thee. 

VI. Thou shalt do no murder. 

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. Thou shalt not steal. 

LX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbour. 

X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor 
his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is 
his. 



»ki 



lllli 



PART III. 



STrittitg to &bt)jmt 






THREE STEPPING-STONES. 71 



LESSON I. 

JFirst Suntm^ after STrtufti?. 
Eight and Wrong. 

Little children, let no man deceive you : he that 
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is right- 
eous. 1 John iii : 7. 

1. What is righteousness ? 

Ans. Doing what is right, because it is 
right. 

2. If you do a right thing because you 
think people will praise you for it, or because 
you think you shall prosper in consequence, 
is that righteousness ? 

Ans. No, it is selfishness. 

3. What alone can make an action right- 
eous ? 

Ans. A right motive behind it. 

4. How do men learn to tell the difference 
between right and wrong ? 

Ans. God teaches them. 

5. In what two ways does God do this ? 
Ans. From without and from within. 

6. What do we call God's voice speaking 
to us from within ? 

Ans. Conscience. 



72 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What do we call God's voice speaking 
to us from without? * 

Arts. Prophecy. 

8. By whom is prophecy brought to us ? 
Arts. By prophets. 

9. And what is a prophet ? 
Arts. One who speaks for God. 

10. Where do we find the words of the men 
who have best spoken for God ? 

Arts. In the Bible. 

11. What does the Bible do for us which 
conscience does not ? 

Ans. It tells us what God's law is. 

12. What does conscience do for us which 
the Bible does not ? 

Ans. It blames us when we break God's 
law. 

Still the wrong way will seem pleasant, 

Still the right way will seem hard ; 
All our life we shall be tempted, 

We must £ ever be on guard. 
We are soldiers doing battle, 

Day by day, and hour by hour, 
Each one with his own temptation, 

Striving in the Spirit's power 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 73 



lesson n. 

Second Suntrag after Erfuftg. 

« 

The Law. 

The statutes of the Lord are light, rejoicing the 
heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, en- 
lightening the eyes. Psalm xix : 8. 

1. What is a law-giver ? 

Arts. One who makes rules or laws for 
people to obey. 

2. Who is the chief law-giver of all ? 
Ans. God the Father Almighty. 

3. W hat does David say of this Law-giver's 
law ? 

Ans. " The law of the Lord is perfect." 

4. Are the laws that men make perfect ? 
Ans. Only in so far as they are like God's 

law. 

5. What is the name for breaking God's 
law ? 

Ans. Sin. 

6. What is the name for breaking man's 
law? 

Ans. Crime. 



74. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What sorts of sins does man's law pun- 
ish as crimes ? 

Ans. Those by which we injure one an- 
other. 

8. What sorts of sins does God's law 
punish ? 

Ans. All sorts. 

9. Who only can forgive us our sins ? 
Ans. God. 

10. For whose sake does He forgive us ? 
Ans. For Jesus' sake. 

11. How did Jesus win the forgiveness of 
our sins ? 

Ans. By His great love for us. 

12. What did this love lead Him to do ? 
Ans. To die for us upon the cross. 

I sin whenever I pursue 

What God commands me not to do; 

I sin too, if I ever shun 

What He hath told me must be done. 

If I sincerely now repent, 
And trust in Him whom Heaven hath sent, 
He will remove the threatening rod. 
And bear me to the arms of God. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 75 

lesson in. 

Sjfrtr Sunfcag after Etfuftg. 

Moses. 

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment 
for all that are oppressed. 

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts 
unto the children of Israel. Ps. ciii : 6, 7. 

1. Who was the greatest of the law-givers 
before Jesus came into the world ? 

Ans. Moses. 

2. How did Moses become a law-giver ? 
Ans. God called him to be one. 

3. Where was Moses born ? 
Ans. In Egypt. 

4. But was he an Egyptian ? 
Ans. No ; he was an Israelite. 

5. How then did he happen to be born in 
Egypt? 

Ans. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt 
at that time. 

6. By whom was Moses brought up ? 
Ans. By the daughter of Pharaoh the 

king of Egypt. 



76 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What were the names of Moses' own pa- 
rents ? 

Arts. Amram and Jochebed. 

8. Where did Pharaoh's daughter find 
Moses ? 

Arts. In an ark of bulrushes by the river- 
side. 

9. Who had placed him there ? 
Arts. His mother. 

10. Why had she done this ? 
Ans. To save his life. 

11. Why was his life in danger, 

Ans. Because Pharaoh had commanded 
that all the male children of the Hebrews, 
when born, should be put to death. 

12. What did Moses gain from his adop- 
tion by Pharaoh's daughter ? 

Ans. He was taught all the learning of the 
Egyptians. 

Saviour pure and holy, 
Lover of the lowly, 
Sign us with Thy sign, 
Take our hands in Thine, 
Take our hands and come, 
Lead Thy children home I 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 77 

LESSON IV. 
jFourtS Sunfcas after STrmftg. 

Sinai. 

And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on 
the top of the mount : and the Lord called Hoses 
up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up. 
Exod. xix : 20. 

1. When Moses grew to be a man what 
happened? 

Ans. " He refused to be called the son of 
Pharaoh's daughter." 

2. Why ? 

Arts. Because he loved his own people, and 
wanted to live with them. 

3. What did God command Moses to do ? 
Ans. To lead the Israelites from Egypt to 

the promised land. 

4. Was Pharaoh willing to let the Israel- 
ites go ? 

Ans. Not until God had punished him and 
his land. 

5. What are the punishments God sent to 
Pharaoh called? 

Ans. The plagues of Egypt. 



78 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. What happened to Pharaoh and his 
army while they were pursuing the children 
of Israel ? 

Ans. They were overthrown in the Red 
Sea and drowned. 

7. To what mountain did Moses lead the 
people after they had escaped from Egypt ? 

Ans. Mount Sinai. 

8. What took place at Mount Sinai ? 
Ans. God gave Moses a law for His 

people. 

9. On what was the law written ? 
Ans. On -two tables of stone. 

10. Into how many parts was the law di- 
vided ? 

Ans. Ten. 

11. What are these parts called ? 
Ans. The Commandments. 

12. What used to be another name for the 
Ten Commandments? 

Ans. The Ten Words of God. 

The foe behind, the deep before, 

Our hosts have dared and passed the sea 

And Pharaoh's warriors strew the shore, 
And Israel's ransomed tribes are free. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 79 

LESSON V. 

fftft!) Suntiag after (Ertnftg. 
The letter and the spirit. 

For the law toas given by Moses, but grace and 
truth came by Jesus Christ John i : 17. 

1. What do we mean by the spirit of a 
law ? 

Ans. The purpose of it. 

2. What do we mean by the letter of a 
law? 

Ans. The wording of it. 

3. If a child, for instance, who had been 
told by his father not to venture upon the 
water in a boat, were to go out on a raft of 
boards, which would that be keeping, the let- 
ter or the spirit of the. commandment ? 

Ans. The letter. 

4. Which is the more important the letter 
or the spirit ? 

Ans. The spirit. 

5. When Jesus came into the world what 
did He do for the law of Moses ? 

Ans. He brought out the spirit of it. 

6. How many commandments did Jesus 
Himself set forth ? 

Ans. Two. 



80 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What were they. 

Arts. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God . 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind," and " Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself." 

8. Did He mean these two commandments 
to be added to the ten of Moses so as to make 
twelve ? 

Ans. No. 

9. What then did He mean ? 

Ans. He meant that these two command- 
ments contained the spirit of the ten. 

10. How, then, ought Christians to receive 
and obey the Ten Commandments ? 

Ans. In the light of the teaching of Christ. 

11. When we say in church, after each 
commandment, " Lord have mercy upon us, 
and incline our hearts to keep this law," what 
do we mean ? 

Ans. We ask God to help us keep the spirit 
of each. 

12. When Jesus says that on His two com- 
mandments " hang all the Law and the proph- 
ets," what does He mean ? 

Ans. That love to God and love to man 
were the lesson which the Law and 'the proph- 
ets had been meant to teach. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 81 



LESSON VI. 

Stye Sfrit) ^untias after &xU\it£ 
The First Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Audit shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord 
thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve 
them, and icorship them, I testify against you this 
day that ye shall surely perish Deut. viii : 19. 

1. Whj was this commandment to wor- 
ship one only God made the first of the Ten ? 

Ans. Because all the others depend upon 
it. 

2. Why is it that we are bound to keep the 
commandments at all ? 

Ans. Because they are the will of God. 

3. But if there were many Gods, each one 
might have a will of his own, — might he 
not? 

Ans. Yes. 

4. So then, if we were obliged to choose 
between doing the will of one God and doing 
the will of another God, what would happen ? 

Ans. We should be puzzled. 



82 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

5. How should we probably decide ? . 
Ans. We should be likely to do the will of 

the God we supposed to be the stronger. 

6. And if one person were doing the will 
of one God, and another the will of another 
God, what would happen ? 

Ans. All would be confusion. 

7. Suppose there were two Gods, one good 
and one bad, what would happen ? 

Ans. The good God would make good 
commandments, and the bad God bad ones. 

8. But if there is one only God, and He is 
holy, what will His commandments be ? 

Ans. Holy commandments. 

9. In the old days, before Christ came, how 
many nations worshipped but one God ? 

Ans. Only one. 

10. Which was that? 

Ans. The Hebrews or Israelites. 

11. W hat were they called on this account ? 
Ans. The People of God. 

12. What was the name they gave their 
one God ? 

Ans. Jehovah. 

There is one God, but One alone, 

He made all things in earth and heaven ; 

To Him all love and praise are due, 
All worship must be given. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 83 

LESSON VII. 
2H)e -Sebentb <SuntJai) after Exlnii^. 

The First Commandment as illuminated by 

Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Coniniandrnent.] 

1 have declared unto them thy name, and will 
declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved 
me may be in them, and I in them. John xvii : 
26. 

1. What new name of God did Christ bring 
to us? 

Ans. Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 

2. When did He declare this name ? 

Ans. When His work on earth was finished* 

3. To whom did He declare it ? 
Ans. To His apostles. 

4. What did He say to them ? 

Ans. " Go ye, therefore, and teach all na- 
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Fath- 
er, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 

5. Is the name " Father, Son and Holv 
Ghost" the name of three Gods ? 

Ans. No, it is the name of the One God. 

6. What is the value of this name of God ? 
Ans. It helps us to know God more fully. 



84 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. "What else did Jesus teach about the 
first commandment ? 

Arts. He taught the true motive for keep- 
ing it. 

8. What might be a motive for keeping it ? 
Arts. Fear of being punished if we did not. 

9. What did Jesus make the true motive 
for keeping it ? 

Ans. Love. 

10. What sort of love ? 
Ans. Filial Love.; 

11. What is filial love ? 

Ans. The love of a child for its parents. 

12. What did Jesus say when some one 
asked Him, " Which is the first command- 
ment of all ? " 

Ans. " The first of all the commandments 
is, Hear, Israel ; the Lord our God is one 
Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." 

The little birds sing happy songs, 

The flowers grow brightly everywhere, 

They do not know the great Lord God 
Who made them all so fair. 

But we are not like senseless flowers, 

We are not like the little birds, 
For we can love Him with our hearts 

And praise Him with our words. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 85 



lessor vm. 

C$e WtffrVb ^untias after tErmftg. 
The Second Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment ] 

And the idols he shall utterly abolish. Isa. ii : 
18. 

1. What is the name of the sin which 
this commandment forbids? 

Ans. Idolatry. 

2. What is an idol ? 

Ans. An image worshipped as God. 

3. Why is idolatry bad ? 

Ans. Because it gives the worshippers 
false notions about God. 

4. Why were the Israelites in great dan- 
ger of falling into this sin ? 

Ans. Because the nations around them 
were idolatrous. 

5. Did thev ever fall into it? 
Ans. Again and again. 



86 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. What idol did they make while Moses 
was receiving the Law on Mount Sinai ? 

Arts. A golden calf. 

7. Who was their leader in this sin ? 
Ans. Aaron the high priest, the brother 

of Moses. 

8. When Moses came down from the 
Mount, and found the people worshipping 
the golden calf, what did he do? 

Ans. In his anger he broke the two ta- 
bles of stone. 

9. What are the names of some of the 
idols mentioned in the Old Testament ? 

Ans. Baal, Moloch, Dagon and Eimmon. 

10. Why are not we idolaters ? 

Ans. Because we have been taught better. 

11. Are there idolaters in the world now? 
Ans. Yes, whole countries full of them. 

12. When will these people turn from 
their idols to seek the living and true God? 

Ans. Not until we do our duty in trying 
to teach them. 

There are strange countries far away 

Where God's name is unknown, 
Where children live who say their prayers, 

To Gods of wood and stone. 
But Christian children go to church, 

They kneel at home in prayer ; 
And God, Who is a Spirit, hears 

And'answers everywhere. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 87 

LESSON IX. 

5Tfce ^fntfc Sutitra^ after SErfttft^. 
The Second Commandment as Illuminated 
by Christ. 
[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. I. 
John v : 21. 

1. What is the teaching of Christ about 
idolatry ? 

Ans. That anything which we love better 
than God is our idol. 

2. What is one of the commonest forms 
of idolatry ?, 

Ans. The worship of money. 

3. How do men sometimes show that they 
are worshippers of money ? 

Ans. By doing things they ought not to 
do in order to get it. 

4. How else? 

Ans. By caring most for the people who 
are rich, and least for the people who are poor. 

5. What does Jesus say upon this subject? 
Ans. " Ye cannot serve God and Mam- 



mon." 



6. What does this mean ? 
Ans. That we cannot love God best and 
riches best at the same time. 



88 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What is the only image of God we can 
worship without sin? 

Arts. His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

8. What does St. Paul call Christ ? 

Ans. " The image of the invisible God." 

9. And in what words had Jesus said the 
same thing of Himself? 

Arts. " He that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father." 

10. Why is it not wrong to worship this 
likeness of God, when to worship other like- 
nesses of Him is a sin ? 

Arts. Because this is a true likeness. 

11. What does the spirit of the second 
commandment forbid ? 

Ans. The worship of any image that is a 
false likeness of God. 

12. Why must images made with hands 
always be fals6 likenesses of God? 

Ans. Because they are only things, while 
God is a person, not a thing. 

Frail children of dust, 

And feeble as frail 
In Thee do we trust, 

Nor find Thee to fail ; 
Thy mercies, how tender, 

How firm to the end, 
-Our Maker, Defender, 

Redeemer, and Friend. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 89 

LESSON X. 

£&e &etttj Suufcag after tKximty. 

The Third Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither 
shalt thou irrofane the name of thy God : I am 
the Lord. Lev. xix : 12. 

1. What is meant by taking God's name 
in vain ? 

Ans. Using it carelessly or wickedly. 

2. What is the worst sin of this kind 
called ? 

Ans. Blasphemy. 

3. Who is a blasphemer ? 

Ans. One who curses God, or speaks an- 
grily or bitterly against Him. 

4. When are men tempted to blasphemy ? 
Ans. When things go hard with them. 

5. Why ought we never to blame God for 
the misfortunes that happen to us ? 

Ans. Because He knows best what is good 
for us. 

6. Under the law of Moses what was the 
punishment of the blasphemer? 

Ans. He was put to death. 



90 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. "What is the. sin of profaneness ? 
Arts. Any trifling use of sacred names. 

8. Why is this wrong ? 

Arts. Because the name stands for the 
person. 

9. If we fall into the habit of sli^htin^ 
God's name, what else shall we be likely 
to do? 

Arts. Lose reverence for God Himself. 

10. What does the Commandment say of 
every one who takes God's name in vain, 
whether blasphemously or profanely ? 

Arts. God will not hold him guiltless. 

11. What does this mean ? 

Arts. That He will hold him guilty. 
12 And if God hold him guilty what must 
follow? 

Arts. Punishment. 

Hush ! little Christian child, 

Speak not that Holy Name, 
Not with a laughing lip, 

Not in thy playful game ; 
For the great God of all 

Heareth each word we say, 
He will remember it 

In the great Judgment Day. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 91 

LESSON XL 

&t)e Hlebenti) Suntiag after Exinity. 

The Third Commandment as illuminated by 

Christ. 
[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; * * * 
But let your communication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, 
nay : for whatsoever is more than these cometh of 
evil Matt, v: 34. 37. 

1. When people use oaths very freely in 
conversation, what is commonly their purpose? 

Ans. To add strength to what they say. 

2. "When a man is telling the truth does 
his swearing an oath really add any strength 
to what he says ? 

Ans. Not at all. 

3. If he is not telling the truth does his 
swearing make the falsehood any less a false- 
hood ? 

Ans. Certainly not. 

4. What then does a man gain by using 
profane language ? 

Ans. Nothing. 

5. "What does he lose ? 
Ans. Holiness. 

6. What habit does Christ commend to us 
instead of the habit of swearing ? 



92 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

Ans. The habit of saying just what we 
mean. 

7. What virtue, then, is covered by this 
Commandment, as Christ teaches it ? 

Ans. Truthfulness. 

8. What names do we always find it most 
natural to treat with respect? 

Ans. The names of those we love. 

9. Who then are least likely to take God's 
name in vain ? 

Ans. Those who have the love of God in 
their hearts. 

10. What other kind of words besides 
blasphemous and profane words, does Christ 
disapprove ? 

Ans. Idle words. 

11. What does He mean by idle words ? 
Ans, Words that do nobody any good. 

12. What does He say upon this point? 
Ans. " Every idle word that men shall 

speak, they shall give account thereof in the 
day of judgment." 

Honor God's Holy Name, 
Speak it with thought and care, 

Sing to it holy hymns, 

Breathe it in earnest prayer ; 

But not with sudden cry, 
In thy light joy or pain, 

" God will hold guilty all 
Who take His Name in vain." 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 93 

LESSON XII. 

SFJe Etoclftlj Suutras after Ertuftg. 

The Fourth Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

So the people rested on the seventh day. Exod. 
xvi: 30. 

1. Where do we find evidence that the law 
of the Sabbath had been known before the Two 
Tables were given to Moses on Mount Sinai ? 

Ans. In the first book of the Bible. 

2. What is the name of that book ? 
Ans. Genesis. ^ 

3. What is said in the second chapter of 
the book of Genesis about the seventh day ? 

Ans, " God blessed the seventh day and 
sanctified it, because that in it he had rested 
from all His work." 

4. Where else do we find evidence that the 
Sabbath was known before the giving of the 
Ten Commandments ? 

Ans. In the story of the manna. 

5. What was the manna ? 

Ans. The food miraculously given the 
children of Israel in the wilderness. 

6. How often were the people to gather 
the manna ? 

Ans. Day by day. 



94 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What were they to do on the sixth day ? 
Arts. They were to gather enough to last 

them over the Sabbath. 

8. If the Sabbath was already known be- 
fore Moses' time, why was there any need of 
putting the law of the Sabbath among the Ten 
Commandments ? 

Arts. This Commandment, like the others, 
only set forth a duty which was already known 
but had been partly forgotten. 

9. What was the one thing strictly forbid- 
den in the Fourth Commandment ? 

Arts. Labor. 

10. What was the one thing commanded? 
Ans. Rest. 

11. Under the law of Moses, what was the 
punishment for Sabbath-breaking ? 

Ans. Death. 

12. Why was so severe a penalty needed ? 
Ans. Because the temptation to forget this 

law was very strong. 

Put the spade and wheel away ; 
Do no weary work to-day ; 
Let the way-worn horse go free, 
And the field uncultured be ; 
Leave the flail beside the corn, 
All must rest on Sunday morn. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 95 

LESSON XIII. 

5Tt)e £j)frtcent!) Suulmg after Qlzimtv. 

The Fourth Commandment as illuminated 
by Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

And he said unto them, The sabbath ivas made 
for man, and not man for the sabbath : there- 
fore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 
Mark ii : 27, 28. 

1. What was one of the accusations the 
enemies of Christ brought against Him ? 

Ans. That He was a Sabbath-breaker. 

2. Why did they make such a charge ? 
Ans. Because He did not keep the Fourth 

Commandment in their way. 

3. What did He do on the Sabbath that 
offended them ? 

Ans. He did works of mercy. 

4. What did Christ mean when He said 
that the Sabbath was made for man ? 

Ans. He mean.t that God made the law of 
the Sabbath in order to do men good. 

5. What had the Jews of Christ's time 
done for the Sabbath ? 

Ans. They had turned it from a blessing 
into a curse. 



96 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. What day do Christians keep holy in- 
stead of the Sabbath ? 

Arts. The first day of the week. 

7. What is the Christian name for this day ? 
Ans. The Lord's Day. 

8. Why do we call it " The Lord's Day " ? 
Arts. Because it is the day on which Christ 

rose from the dead. 

9. In holding the first day of the week sa- 
cred instead of the seventh, which do we honor, 
the letter or the spirit of the Commandment? 

Ans. The spirit. 

10. What is the spirit in which we ought 
to enjoy the Lord's Day ? 

Ans. A spirit of thankfulness. 

11. What duty ought we especially to re- 
member on that day ? 

Ans. The duty of worship. 

12. What sorts of pleasures may we allow 
ourselves on the Lord's Day ? 

Ans. Such as neither interfere with serious 
thoughts, nor rob others of their day of rest. 

Hark ! I hear the sweet Church bells, 
And their quiet music tells 
How to keep Christ's holy day 
In the happiest, fittest way ; 
How His children here may meet, 
All in saintly service sweet, 
And in presence of their Lord, 
Sing His praise, and hear His word. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 97 

LESSON XIV. 

<£J)e JFourteenti) hunting after STtfnftg. 

The Fifth Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and 
forsake not the law of thy mother : For they shall 
be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains 
about thy neck. Pro v. i : 8,9. 

1. What is a child's first duty to his 
parents ? 

Ans. Obedience. 

2. What makes obedience easy ? 
Ans. Love. 

3. What else besides obedience do children 
owe their parents ? 

Ans. Reverence. 

4. How long does the duty of obedience 
last ? 

Ans. Till children are grown up. 

5. How long does the duty of reverence 
last? 

Ans. As long as life lasts. 

6. What is the duty of children towards 
parents who have grown old and feeble ? 

Ans To care tenderly for them. 

7. What is meant by the words " the land 
which the Lord thy God giveth thee." ? 



98 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

Arts. Cauaan, or the promised land. 

8. Why did the Israelites call Canaan the 
" promised land " ? 

Ans. Because it had been promised to 
them as the children of Abraham. 

9. Why were they particularly interested 
in the promised land at the time this Com- 
mandment was given ? 

Ans. Because they were journeying to- 
wards it, and expected soon to enter it. 

10. Was the promise of long life in the 
land of Canaan meant for each separate Israel- 
ite who should keep this Commandment or 
for the people as a whole ? 

Ans. For the people as a whole. 

11. What makes the life of any nation 
long in the land which God gives it to possess ? 

Ans. The habit of obedience to law. 

12. Where is the habit of obedience to 
law best and earliest learned ? 

Ans. In a good home. 

holy Lord, content to live 

In a poor home a lowly child, 
And in subjection meek to give 

Obedience to thy mother mild ; 

Lead every child that bears Thy Name 
To walk in Thy pure, upright way, 

To dread the touch of sin and shame, 
And humbly, like Thyself, obey. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 99 

LESSON XV. 

2T|)e jFffteentf) ^itntias after STrfnft]?. 

The Fifth Commandment as illuminated by 

Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment."] 

Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear 
God. Honour the king. I. Peter ii: 17. 

1. If we early learn to reverence our 
parents, what will be likely to follow ? 

Ans. We shall reverence others too. 

2. What is the duty of a Christian towards 
all with whom he has intercourse ? 

Ans. To treat them with respect. 

3. Who are the people who are most likely 
to treat others with respect ? 

Ans. Those who have learned to be re- 
spectful at home. 

4. Who are the only persons from whom 
we have any right to withhold respect ? 

Ans. Those who have proved themselves 
unworthy of it. 

5. Until a person has plainly shown that 
he is unworthy of respect, what is our duty 
towards him ? 

Ans. To treat him respectfully. 



100 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. What treatment therefore do we al- 
ways owe to strangers about whom we know 
nothing ? 

Ans. Eespectful treatment. 

7. What is a " respectable " person ? 
Ans. Any person who deserves respect. 

8. What is it that can give to any one a 
claim to respect, and so make him " respect- 
able " ? 

Ans. Purity of character. 

9. What is this Fifth Commandment 
called by St. Paul. 

Ans. " The first commandment with prom- 
ise." 

10. What is the promise attached to it ? 
Ans, Long life. 

11. Where else than here on earth may 
this promise be fulfilled ? 

Ans. In the world to come. 

12. What is the name of the land which 
the Lord our God giveth to those who are His 
obedient children ? 

Ans. The heavenly land. 

Be to others kind and true, 
As you'd have others be to you ; 
And neither say nor do to men 
Whate'er you would not take again. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 101 

LESSOR XVI. 

<Sfj:teentt) .SnuTfag gtfter 2Trfmt£ 
The Sixth Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Cornmandraent.] 
And surely your blood of your lives will I re- 
quire; * * * at the hand of every man's brother 
will I require the life of man. Gen. ix : 5. 

1. What is the name for the act of taking 
away human life ? 

Ans. Homicide. 

2. When one man kills another without at 
all meaning to do so, what sort of homicide is it ? 

Ans. Accidental homicide. 

3. When one man kills another in self-de- 
fence, or at the command of the State as an 
executioner, what sort of homicide is it? 

Ans. Justifiable homicide. 

4. When one man kills another out of 
hatred or covetousness, or any bad passion, 
what sort of homicide is it ? 

Ans. Unjustifiable homicide. 

5. What, then, are the three sorts of hom- 
icide or man-slaying ? 

Ans. Accidental, justifiable, unjustifiable. 

6. Which of these three sorts of homicide 
is forbidden in the Sixth Commandment ? 

Ans. The last. 

7. Under the law of Moses, who was 



102 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

charged with the duty of seeing that the mur- 
derer was put to death as soon as possible ? 

Arts. An officer called " the avenger of 
blood." 

8. What were the cities called to which 
those who had committed any sort of homicide 
could fly, and be safe from " the avenger of 
blood ? » 

Ans. Cities of refuge. 

9. How many of these cities of refuge 
were there ? 

Ans. Six. 

10. How many witnesses were necessary 
to prove the charge of murder against any 
man when on his trial ? 

Ans. Two. 

11. For what were these precautions about 
the cities of refuge and the number of the 
witnesses intended? 

Ans. To protect suspected persons, who 
might be innocent, from too hasty punishment. 

12. What is one of the best proofs that 
a city or country is well governed ? 

Ans t The security of human life within its 
borders. 

Give not back the hasty blow, 

Though 'tis given wrongly ; 
Let the foolish scoffer go, 

Though he tempt thee strongly. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 103 

LESSOR XVII. 
&i)e Sebenteentb SunTjap after Ertnttg. 

The Sixth Commandment as illuminated by 

Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer ; 
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life 
abiding in him. 1 John, iii : 15. 

1. From what source does Christ tell us 
that murders come ? 

Ans. " Out of the heart." 

2. What does He mean by this ? 

Ans. He means that bad feelings prompt 
bad acts. 

3. Which are the three bad feelings that 
oftener than any others tempt men to commit 
murder ? 

Ans. Anger, jealousy and covetousness. 

4. If we wish to be safe against the temp- 
tation to murder, what ought we to do ? 

Ans. We ought to drive away^these feel- 
ings whenever they come near us. 

5. In what words does Solomon commend 
this duty to us ? 

Ans. " Keep thy heart with all diligence, 
for out of it are the issues of life." 



104 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. When will wars and fightings cease on 
the earth ? 

Arts. When men have learned to love one 
another. 

7. What stands in the way of men's lov- 
ing one another now ? 

Arts. Their selfishness. 

8. What does true love always produce ? 
Arts. Unselfishness 

9. If, therefore, men can be persuaded 
truly to love one another, what will follow ? 

Arts. They will never try to kill one an- 
other. 

10. So far in the history of the world what 
means of persuading men to brotherly love 
has proved more successful than any other ? 

Ans. The Gospel of Christ. 

11. What is the Gospel of Christ? 

Ans. The message, u God so loved the 
world, that he gave His only begotton Son, 
that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life." 

12. How, then, may those who desire to 
see peace on earth best labor to bring about 
their object ? 

Ans. By helping to spread the knowledge 
of the Gospel of Christ. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 105 

LESSON XVIII. 

2Ttie Hfgijtecntt SunUajJ after Etfnftg. 

The Seventh Oommdandment as given by 

Moses. 
[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

And Isaac brought her info his mother Sarah's 

tent, and took Hebekah, and she became his wife; 

and he loved her. Gen. xxiv : 67. 

-> 

1. Of what law is adultery the transgression? 
Ans. The law of marriage. 

2. What is the law of marriage ? 

Ans. That the husband shall be true to 
the wife, and the wife to the husband/ 

3. When was the law of marriage or- 
dained ? 

Ans. In the beginning. 

4. In what words is this law laid down 
in the first book of the Bible ? 

Ans. " Therefore shall a man leave his 
father and his mother, and shall cleave unto 
his wife; and they shall be one flesh." 

5. What is marriage called by the Church ? 
Ans. A " holy estate." 

6. What is meant by this expression? 
Ans. A state of life which God approves. 

7. Why is it necessary for the Church to 
insist that marriage is a " holy estate ? " 

Ans. Because it has sometimes been taught 



106 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

that those who do not marry are holier than 
those who do. 

8. What does the minister say, in the mar- 
riage service, of those who have been joined 
together in this holy estate ? 

Arts. " Those whom God hath joined to- 
gether let no man put asunder." 

9 What is the putting asunder of those 
who have been joined together in holy matri- 
mony called ? 

Arts, Divorce. 

10. When divorces are frequent, is it a sign 
of a good or of a bad state of society ? 

Ans. Of a bad state. 

11. If husbands and wives always kept 
their marriage vows, what would be the re- 
sult ? 

Ans. Divorces would never happen. 

12. In which families are divorces most 
likely to occur ? 

Ans. Those in which God is not honored. 

I love the little snowdrop flower, 

The first in all the year, 
Without a stain upon its leaf, 
So snowy white and clear. 

I sometimes think the Church's saints 

Are flowers so fair and bright, 
And that her little children are 

Her snowdrops sweet and white. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 107 

LESSOR XIX. 

Nfueteentj) Stontoas after Stinftg. 

The Seventh Commandment as Illuminated 
by Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see 
God. Matt, v: 8. 

1. Which grace of character is the Seventh 
Commandment intended to protect ? 

Ans. Purity. 

2. What is purity ? 
Ans. Cleanness of heart. 

3. In what three ways ought Christians to 
be pure ? 

Ans. In thought, in word, and in deed. 

4. What are the emblems of purity in 
Holy Scripture ? 

Ans. The lamb, the dove, the fountain and 
the lily. > 

5. What is one chief source of the tempta- 
tions to impurity ? 

Ans. Bad company. 

6. What is another ? 

Ans. Bad reading, bad books and papers. 



108 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What is our best protection against 
such temptations ? 

Arts. The grace of God. 

8. How are we to obtain the grace of God ? 
Arts. By asking God for it. 

9. What was the language of David's 
prayer ? 

Ans. " Create in me a clean heart, God ; 
and renew a right spirit within me." 

10. How are our bodies cleansed from spot 
and stain ? 

Ans. By the washing of water. 

11. How only can our souls be cleansed ? 
Ans. By the washing of God's forgiveness. 

12. When was this forgiveness pledged us ? 
Ans. When Christ shed his blood for us 

upon the cross. 

Sweet Holy Spirit come, 

Dwell with a child ; 
Make of my heart a home 

All undented. 

Come Holy Dove and sing 

Sweet words to me ; 
Let thy white nestling wing 

My covering be. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 109 

LESSON XX. 

(E&e £toentfct!> <SuntJai> after 2Trfnft|>. 

The Eighth Commandment as given by Mose£. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely y neither lie 
one to another. Lev. xix : 11. 

1. What is stealing ? 

Aiis. Taking what does not belong to as. 

2. When people steal with great boldness, 
what is their crime called ? 

Aiis. Robbery. 

3. When the stealing is done with great 
secrecy, what do we call it ? 

Ans. Thieving. 

4. When the stealing is done little by lit- 
tle, and with the hope that the loss will not 
be noticed because it is so small, what is the 
offence called ? 

Ans. Pilfering. 

5. What is the Commandment that forbids 
equally all these sorts of wrong-doing ? 

Ans. " Thou shalt not steal." 

6. What is one very common way in 
which thieves try to escape the disgrace which 
ought to follow their crime ? 

Ans. Inventing fine names for the crime. 



110 TFE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What are some of these fine names for 
stealing ? 

Arts. " Embezzlement " and " Irregulari- 
ty.- 

8. Can a fine name really cover over a bad 
deed ? 

Ans. No : it only makes things worse. 

9. Why ? 

Ans. Because the sin of lying is added to 
the first sin. 

10. To which kind of stealing are children 
most apt to be tempted ? 

Ans. Pilfering. 

11. Is it any less a sin for a child to steal 
from his parents than to steal from others ? 

Ans. No ; the guilt is the same. 

12. What is a good saying to keep in 
mind as a protection against the temptation 
to break this Commandment? 

Ans. " Thou God seest me." 

Pilfer not the smallest thing, 

Touch it not, howe'er thou need it, 

Though the owner have enough, 
Though he know it not nor heed it. 

Taste not the forbidden fruit, 

Though resistance be a trial : 
Grasping hand and roving eye, 

Early teach them self-denial. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. Ill 

LESSON XXI. 

£Je £toent£-ff rst SuntJag after 2Trtnft2. 

The Eighth Commandment as illuminated 
by Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Render therefore to all their dues : tribute to 
lohom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; 
fear toiohomfear; honor to whom honor. Rom. 
xiii : 7. 

1. How may we go against the spirit of 
this Eighth Commandment, even though we 
do not actually steal another's property ? 

Arts. By witholding what is due. 

2. What is the meaning of the word "duty"? 
Ans. That which is due. 

3. What two sorts of duty are there ? 
Ans. Our duty towards God, and our duty 

towards our neighbor. 

4. Who is our neighbor ? 

Ans. Any fellow creature whom it is in 
our power to serve. 

5. What is due to those who are in au- 
thority over us ? 

Ans. Obedience. 

6. What is due to those who are in need? 
Ans. Relief. 



112 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What is due to those who are in sorrow ? 
Ans. Sympathy 

8. What do we call our i€ rights " ? 

Ans. Those things which are due us from 
other people. 

9. When we say that we " have a right " 
to obedience, or relief, or sympathy, what do 
we mean ? 

Ans. We mean that, for some reason, obe- 
dience or relief or sympathy is due us. 

10. Which are people usually most eager 
about, their rights or their duties ? 

Ans. Their rights. 

11. Which ought they to be most eager 
about ? 

Ans. Their duties. 

12. If all people were careful about their 
duties what would become of their rights ? 

Ans. They would always be respected. 

Upright heart and honest name 

To the poorest are a treasure, 
Better than ill-gotten wealth, 

Better far than pomp and pleasure. 

Poor and needy though thou art, 
Gladly take what God has given, 

With clean hand and humble heart 
Passing through the world to Heaven. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 113 

LESSON XXII. 

E\)t Etoent^seconfi ^untiag after STrmft^. 

The Ninth Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: J>ut 
they that deal truly are his delight. Pro v. xii: 22. 

1. In repeating this Commandment, upon 
which word of it ought we to put the em- 
phasis ? 

Arts. The word "false." 

2. Why? 

Arts. Because it is only false witness that 
is forbidden. 

3. Which is the only kind of witness it 
can ever be our duty to bear against our 
neighbor ? 

Ans. True witness. 

4. But is it always our duty to bear even 
true witness against him ? 

Ans. No. 

5. When only are we bound to bear wit- 
ness of any sort against our neighbor ? 

Ans. When injustice would be done if we 
were silent. 

6. Under the law of Moses, what was the 
punishment of the false witness ? 



114 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

Ans. " Ye shall do unto him as he had 
thought to have done unto his brother." 

7. What do we call the man who has a 
habit of bearing false witness against others ? 

Ans. Slanderer. 

8. What is the name for one who has the 
habit of saying bitter things against others, 
but is careful not to say them in their pres- 
ence ? 

Ans. Backbiter. 

9. What is one of the titles of Satan or 
the Evil One ? 

Ans. " The accuser of the brethren." 

10. What is another of his titles ? 
Ans. The Father of lies. 

11. If he be the Father of lies, what sort 
of an accuser of the brethren must he be ? 

Ans. A false accuser. 

12. What is one of the titles of the Holy 
Ghost? 

Ans. He is the Spirit of Truth. 

The little lips that every day 

Say prayers to God at morn and eve, 

They were not made for wicked words, 
That injure or deceive. 

The hearts where God's great Spirit dwells, 
To cleanse, and teach, and sanctify, 

Should never think a wicked thought, 
Should never frame a lie. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 115 

LESSON XXIII. 
STjje 2rfoent£=tjHrt <Sunlrai) after STxiuttg. 

The Ninth Commandment as illuminated by 

Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Cornraandinent.] 

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every 
man truth with his neighbour : for toe are members 
one of another. Eph. iv : 25. 

1. What does the spirit of this Command- 
ment require of us ? 

Ans. Always to tell the truth. 

2. In the verse at the head of this lesson, 
what reason does St. Paul give us for telling 
the truth ? 

Ans. He says, "for we are members one 
of another." 

3. What does this mean ? 

Ans. It means that the family of God to 
which Christians belong is like the human 
body. 

4. What are the " members " of the body? 
Ans. Its various parts. 

5. Who is the Head of the body of which 
Christians are members? 

Ans. Christ. 



116 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

6. If we are members one of another, 
under the headship of Christ, what follows ? 

Ans. We have all of us one and the same 
interest. 

7. What do you mean by this answer ? 
Ans. That what is best for each is best for 

all, and what is best for all is best for each. 

8. How are we taught this in St. Paul's 
parable of the body. 

Ans. " The eye cannot say unto the hand, 
I have no need of thee ; nor again the head 
to the feet, I have no need of you." 

9. Why then is our being "members one 
of another " a reason for our telling the truth ? 

Ans. Because we have all of us a common 
interest in the truth. 

10. So then, when one member of God's 
family is injured by a lie, what happens? 

Ans. A wrong is done to all the members. 

11. What is the natural emblem of truth ? 
Ans. Day-light. 

12. What is the natural emblem of false- 
hood? 

Ans. Darkness. 

You cannot see the holy God, 

Nor that bad spirit tempting you • 

But you can watch and never speak 
A word that is not true. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 117 



LESSON XXIV. 

2Tj)e STtoeat^fourtj) BuntJag after ^rtufts. 

The Tenth Commandment as given by Moses. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Commandment.] 

Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not 
to covetousness. Ps. cxix : 36. 

1. What does it mean to " covet" ? 
Ans. To desire very eagerly. 

2. "What sort of coveting is forbidden in 
this Commandment ? 

Ans. Coveting that which is our neighbor's. 

3. To which sins is covetousness very apt 
to lead people ? 

Ans. To greediness and stinginess. 

4. Under the law of Moses, what was for- 
bidden to the Israelites during their time of 
harvest? 

Ans. To reap the corners of their fields. 

5. What else was forbidden them of the 
same sort? 

Ans. To gather the gleanings of the har- 
vest. 

6. For whom were the corners of the 
fields and the gleanings kept ? 

Ans. For the poor. 



118 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What was still another rule of this same 
sort? 

Ans. " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when 
he treadeth out the grain." 

8. Why were such rules as these needed ? 
Ans. To keep the people from becoming 

mean and grasping. 

9. What is the difference between envy 
and covetousness? 

Ans, Envy is a feeling towards a person, 
covetousness is a feeling about the things that 
belong to the person. 

10. How do the two feelings go together ? 
Ans. We envy our neighbor when we cov- 
et what he owns. 

11. Are envy and covetousness, then, two 
separate sins? 

Ans. No they are one and the same sin 
looked at in different ways. 

12. Which trait of character is the oppo- 
site of covetousness ? 

Ans. Generosity. 

Spirit of purity and grace, 

Our weakness, pitying, see ; 
make our hearts thy dwelling-place, 

And meet for Thee. 



THREE STEPPING-STONES. 119 

LESSON XXV. 
2Ti)e Etoent^fiftJ) Suntoag after Erfnttg. 

The Tenth Commandment as illuminated 
by Christ. 

[Let the scholars repeat the Coramandraent.] 

But covet earnestly the best gifts. I Cor. xii. 
31. 

1. What reason does Christ give us for not 
being covetous ? 

Ans. " Take heed and beware of eovetous- 
ness : for a man's life consisteth not in the 
abundance of the things which he possesseth." 

2. What does He teach us in these words ? 
Ans. That the mere owning of things can- 
not make us happy. 

3. What two sorts of riches are there ? 
Arts. The true riches and the false. 

4. Which are the true riches ? 

Ans. Those that cannot be taken away 
from us. 

5. Which are the false riches ? 

Ans. Those which we must leave behind 
us when we die. 

6. What does St. Paul tell us we may and 
ought to covet earnestly ? 



Ans. " The best gifts." 



\ 



120 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

7. What does he mean by " the best gifts" ? 
Ans. The gifts of God. 

8. What is another name for these gifts 
of God? 

Ans. " The fruit of the Spirit." 

9. What is still another name for them ? 
Ans. Graces of character. 

10. In what order does St. Paul place 
them? 

Ans. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen- 
tleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. 

11. If we covet the possession of this sort 
of riches are we breaking the Commandment ? 

Ans. Certainly not. 

12. Why not ? 

Ans. Because the fruit of the Spirit belongs 
to God, and we are not coveting that which is 
our neighbor's when we earnestly desire the 
gift of God. 

Teach me, dear Saviour, some return 
Of lowly service for Thy love, 
. Such as a thankful child may learn,- 
Such as Thy Spirit shall approve. 

Young hearts, I hear them say, are claimed 
For God's own altar by thy Word ; 

May I lay there my own, unblamed, 
And wilt thou lift it heavenward, Lord ? 



V 



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